Dark Moor began the recording sessions for their second album, The Hall of the Olden Dreams, in August 2000 at New Sin Studios with producer Luigi Stefanini. During these recording sessions, the band recorded their cover of "Halloween", which was included on the CD The Keepers of Jericho part I - A Tribute to Helloween (Arise Records).
Their E.P. The Fall of Melnibone was released in June 2001. This E.P was a limited edition; 1500 copies were released and only for the Spanish market.
Dark Moor began the recording of their third album, The Gates of Oblivion, in Autumn 2001 at New Sin Studios. Dark Moor signed with the major label JVC for the Asian release. The band played 18 gigs at festivals such as Rock Machina, Viña Rock and Nit De Reis. After the first part of the tour, keyboardist Roberto Peña left the band and they were forced to finish the tour with a guest musician.
In August 2003 Dark Moor recorded four new exclusive acoustic tracks along with a string quartet, to be included in Between Light and Darkness, which was released in April 2003. Due to differing points of view regarding the musical direction for the next Dark Moor album, vocalist Elisa Martin, guitarist Albert Maroto and drummer Jorge Sáez decided to leave Dark Moor to start a new band.
The two remaining members of the band decided to start a search for new members. After the auditions, they accepted vocalist Alfred Romero, guitarist Jose Garrido, and drummer Andy C.
In August 2003, the band started recording their fourth album, Dark Moor, at New Sin Studios in Italy. Following a month of recording sessions, the album was mastered by Mika Jussila at Finnvox Studios.
On 23 November 2006, the band announced the departure of their drummer on their official website, due to "incompatibility with his other musical projects." He would go on to play drums for Saratoga. His replacement, Roberto Cappa, was previously in the Spanish metal band Anima Sola.
In January 2009, their seventh album Autumnal was released.
The band made an announcement on their website, dated 4 June 2010, that their eighth album was in the works. It featured Berenice Musa as a guest vocalist. The album is titled Ancestral Romance and it was released in November 2010.
On 18 June 2013 the band released their ninth album Ars Musica, with the Japanese limited version including a bonus CD with five bonus tracks. They toured Mexico and Asia the same year, as well as few dates in Europe in 2014 to support the new album.
Dark Moor started recording their 10th studio album, Project X, on 27 July 2015 and released it in Europe on 6 November 2015 on Scarlet Records.
On 21 July 2018, Enrik Garcia, guitarist and founder of the band, announced via Facebook that their next album would be called Origins and that, after the parenthesis they did with ufology themes on Project X, they would return to their habitual themes; Origins will be about the celtic world, also adding celtic instruments on their new songs. This album has been released on 12 December 2018.
El Último Rey
Dark Moor Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Mis recuerdos van
De uno a otro confín crecen
En tu gran jardín
Reina el arrayán
Que brisas sin fin mecen
Flor nazarí, yo te perdí
Sueño la alhambra donde yo nací…
Miré hacia atrás, lloré por ti, Granada
Nunca jamás quise rendir, mi amada
Todo mi ser quedó en tu sol, Granada
Al perder, llorando como mujer
Perla occidental, mi gran capital
Fuiste para mí y te perdí…
Como una mujer, lloro tu nombre
Y aunque me asombre
Lo supera en ser como un hombre…
Flor nazarí, yo te perdí
Y ahora me siento más andalusí
Sueño la alhambra donde yo nací…
Miré hacia atrás, lloré por ti, Granada
Nunca jamás quise rendir, mi amada
Todo mi ser quedó en tu sol, Granada
Al perder, llorando como mujer
Miré hacia atrás, lloré por ti, Granada
Nunca jamás quise rendir, mi amada
Todo mi ser quedó en tu sol, Granada
Al perder, llorando como mujer
The song El Último Rey by Dark Moor is a heartfelt tribute to the city of Granada, Spain. The lyrics express the singer's longing for the beauty and romance of the city, particularly in its historic Albaicín neighborhood and its iconic Alhambra palace. The opening lines describe the singer's memories of the city spreading out before him like the landscape of the region itself, with the jasmine flower (arrayán) swaying in the breeze. The chorus expresses the singer's sense of loss and longing, as they mourn the loss of Granada and its identity as the last stronghold of the Muslim kingdom of Al-Andalus, which was conquered by the Catholic monarchs in 1492. The second verse reinforces this sense of cultural identity and pride, likening the singer's feelings to those of an Al-Andalusian despite the passage of time.
The emotional intensity of the song is enhanced by its passionate vocals and dramatic instrumentation, featuring heavy guitars, pounding drums, and soaring symphonic elements. The song draws on a long tradition of romantic and nostalgic depictions of Granada in Spanish literature and art, as well as the ongoing cultural significance of the city as a symbol of Spain's multicultural heritage. Overall, the lyrics of El Último Rey are a powerful expression of love and loss, memory and identity, and the enduring power of place and culture.
Line by Line Meaning
Por el Albaicín
My memories travel through Albaicín, a district of Granada, Spain
Mis recuerdos van
My memories keep flowing and wandering
De uno a otro confín crecen
They spread from one end to another, they grow
En tu gran jardín
In your great garden, the city of Granada
Reina el arrayán
The myrtle reigns over the garden, a symbol of love and marriage
Que brisas sin fin mecen
Endless breezes sway it back and forth
Flor nazarí, yo te perdí
Nazarí flower, I lost you
Y ahora me siento más andalusí
And now I feel more like an Andalusian, a native of Andalusia region of Spain
Sueño la alhambra donde yo nací…
I dream of the Alhambra palace where I was born
Miré hacia atrás, lloré por ti, Granada
I looked back, cried for you, Granada
Nunca jamás quise rendir, mi amada
I never wanted to give up, my beloved
Todo mi ser quedó en tu sol, Granada
All my being remained in your sun, Granada
Al perder, llorando como mujer
By losing you, crying like a woman
Perla occidental, mi gran capital
Western pearl, my great capital - Granada
Fuiste para mí y te perdí…
You were mine and I lost you
Como una mujer, lloro tu nombre
Like a woman, I cry your name
Y aunque me asombre
And even though it amazes me
Lo supera en ser como un hombre…
Being like a man surpasses it
Contributed by Aiden B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.